SAN JOSE – The best NHL team on the road in 2015-16, the Sharks will begin that portion of their schedule in the building in which they arguably had their most rousing victory outside of San Jose last season.
On Nov. 22, 2015, the Sharks erased a two-goal third period deficit to beat the Blue Jackets, 5-3. It was the second of a back-to-back, and final game of a six-game trip through the Eastern Conference. Remarkably, San Jose went a perfect 6-0.
While sweeping their upcoming five-game trip is probably a bit ambitious, the Sharks are confident their road game will once again be where it needs to be starting at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
Pete DeBoer recalls that the Sharks were struggling just prior to that six-game road sweep last season, and although it took the team another few weeks to really get going, it was still “a critical point for us,” DeBoer said.
After an impressive season opening win against the Kings on Wednesday the Sharks are enthusiastic to reestablish their road game, according to the coach.
“I think the guys are excited about going on the road and excited about the possibility [of playing well on the road again], but this is a different chapter and this is a different team, and we’ve got to make our own path here this year,” he said.
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Playing a disciplined game and never straying from their system was the biggest key on the road last season, according to the captain.
“We never really beat ourselves. I think that was a big thing,” Joe Pavelski said. “We could stay patient and just play our game and just keep plugging away. We kept finding ways to break the game open at some point. That’s a good recipe.”
Road trips, of course, allow the team to spend more time together, away from the hustle and bustle of any family responsibilities. The Sharks have two new pieces this season in Mikkel Boedker and David Schlemko, who will get to know their teammates better throughout the 10-day trip that continues to New York, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and Detroit.
Schlemko said: “Obviously not too many new guys on this team, just me and [Boedker], but it’s always good to get away at the start of the season, go for dinners with the boys and stuff and get that bond.”
Even though the rest of the team is essentially familiar with one another, they haven’t all spent much time together as a group due to the World Cup of Hockey. The Sharks had seven participants in that tournament, including a league-high five in the Final between Canada and Team Europe.
In that regard, hitting the road this early in the season could be beneficial.
“We haven’t had time as a team here through camp,” DeBoer said. “We’ve been at home, so the guys aren’t together on the road. The World Cup guys have been missing. It will be nice to get on the road and get the guys out spending time together.”
Getting a few more wins would be preferable too, of course, before the next home game on Oct. 25 against Anaheim.
“When you’re traveling for that long and you’re finding ways to win, it definitely can bring a group together,” Pavelski said.
